Dec 17, 2017; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Houston Texans defensive tackle Angelo Blackson (97) chases Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) out of the pocket during the first quarter at EverBank Field. Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars clinched their first playoff berth since 2007 in style.
Quarterback Blake Bortles passed for three touchdowns in the first half to lead Jacksonville to a 45-7 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday at EverBank Field. The Jaguars led 31-0 at halftime, the largest margin in franchise history.
Jacksonville (10-4) remained in control of first place over the AFC South under first-year head coach Doug Marrone. The Jaguars won 17 games in the previous five seasons, the lowest total in the NFL.
Houston (4-10), which has lost four straight and seven of its last eight, was outscored 74-14 en route to being swept by the Jaguars.
Vikings 34, Bengals 7
MINNEAPOLIS — Case Keenum passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns, and Minnesota’s defense dominated Andy Dalton and Cincinnati.
Latavius Murray added 76 yards rushing and a touchdown for Minnesota (11-3), which clinched the NFC North with its ninth win in the past 10 games.
Brian Robison had two of the Vikings’ three sacks and Eric Kendricks returned a first-quarter interception for a touchdown. Minnesota held Cincinnati (5-9) to 161 yards and 1 of 13 on third down.
Eagles 34, Giants 29
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Quarterback Nick Foles threw four touchdown passes as Philadelphia off the New York.
Foles, who was 24 of 38 for 237 yards, took over as the starting quarterback for the Eagles (12-2) after they lost Carson Wentz last week to a season-ending knee injury. Foles helped his team clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Eli Manning finished 35 of 54 for 427 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for the Giants (2-12).
Panthers 31, Packers 24
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cam Newton threw three of his four touchdown passes in the opening 18 minutes of the second half as Carolina upstaged the return of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Newton completed 20 of 31 passes for 242 yards as the Panthers (10-4) remained in at least a first-place tie in the NFC South.
Rodgers was intercepted three times, all on underthrown balls. He completed 27 of 45 passes for 287 yards, but the Packers (7-7) saw their postgame aspirations crippled.
Saints 31, Jets 19
NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes, including a 4-yard slant to Michael Thomas with 7:39 left, and New Orleans overcame three turnovers in its win.
The victory kept the Saints (10-4) in first place in the NFC South. Even though they are tied with 10-4 Carolina, the Saints swept the Panthers in two games this season and own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Jets (5-9) kept the game close with their defensive pressure and ability to stuff the run into the fourth quarter, but could not generate enough offense behind quarterback Bryce Petty, a third-year player making his fifth NFL start.
Bills 24, Dolphins 16
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — LeSean McCoy became the 30th player in NFL history to surpass 10,000 career rushing yards while helping Buffalo keep its playoff hopes alive.
McCoy compiled 96 total yards (50 rushing, 46 receiving) and two touchdowns as the Bills improved to 8-6 for just the third time in the 18 years since the team last reached the postseason.
The loss diminished the Dolphins’ playoff chances following an upset win over New England on Monday night. Jay Cutler was 28-of-49 passing for 274 yards and three interceptions for Miami (6-8). Kenyan Drake ran for 78 yards and a touchdown and Cody Parkey kicked three field goals.
Ravens 27, Browns 10
CLEVELAND — Ball-hawking Baltimore forced four more turnovers and converted two of them into touchdowns to defeat Cleveland.
The Ravens (8-6) kept alive their playoff hopes as a wild-card team. They will clinch a playoff spot by beating the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals in Baltimore the final two weeks regardless what the other contenders do.
The Browns (0-14) have lost 16 straight games to division opponents dating back to 2015.
Redskins 20, Cardinals 15
LANDOVER, Md. — Kirk Cousins threw a pair of touchdown passes and Washington defeated Arizona.
The Redskins (6-8) never trailed and stopped Arizona on downs at the Washington 21-yard line with 16 seconds left.
Arizona (6-8) went 0-for-6 in the red zone and was 4 of 19 on third down. The Cardinals haven’t scored a touchdown in their past two games and were officially eliminated from the playoff hunt.
